A pillow top mattress is one where a comfortable topper is permanently attached onto the mattress.
Various materials are used for the comfort layer on a pillowtop mattress. Some use natural materials such as latex and wool whilst others use synthetic fibres.
Should you get a manmade or natural pillow top mattress?
If you are interested in the natural v synthetic argument you might like to have a look at this WebMD article. It explains that ‘gaseous chemicals called volatile organic compounds’ are released by mattresses.
On the one hand, it suggests that ‘these VOCs come mainly from the polyurethane used in the mattress’. That suggests that levels will be higher in mattresses using synthetic materials such as memory foam. They suggest that ‘cotton, wool and natural latex will all produce lower levels of gases’.
However, it also concludes that ‘the estimated doses of most VOCs remained well below the levels that could cause health effects’. They add that ‘experts are generally more concerned about children’s exposure to VOCs’.
The appeal of a pillow top mattress is that you get solid support from a sprung mattress underneath along with a lovely squidgy layer on the top. The downside in some cases is that the top layer loses its shape so you might get sags and dips over time (don’t we all?).
You can’t usually turn over a pillow top mattress as the comfort layer is only on one side.
Our pillow top mattress selections
We’ve picked out five of the best pillow top mattresses in the UK. Our top 5 includes award winners, mattresses with outstanding customer reviews and pillow top mattresses which offer the best value for money. We’ve included a mix of posh expensive pillow top mattresses as well as cheap pillow top mattresses.
Prices are for double mattresses and are correct at the time of writing. Review scores are correct at the time of writing in 2024.
1. Silentnight Deluxe Box Top Mirapocket 2000 Limited Edition Mattress – soft/medium firmness – £655
We previously included a mattress called the Sealy Nostromo/Teramo in this guide to the best Pillowtop mattresses. The bad news is that it’s been discontinued and is no longer available. No flowers please.
We went on the hunt for a similarly priced pillowtop mattress which has a similar soft/medium firmness feel.
We’ve picked out the verbosely titled Silentnight Deluxe Box Top Mirapocket 2000 Limited Edition Mattress.
It has a colossal 39cm depth which is down to two factors. Yes, that’s right – it is 39cm deep!
The first is the twin layers of 1000 pocket springs which is a generous number for a mid-priced model. I would expect to see such indulgences on mattresses costing a fair bit more. The phrase ‘Mirapocket’ means that they are individually pocketed springs rather than one massive coil of wire (‘Miracoil’). Mirapocket is far superior to Miracoil as it offers less wobbly support.
The second factor is the 8cm deep ‘super soft foam’ pillow top layer.
This appears to be a ‘standard’ feel foam rather than a memory foam, so it will bounce back quicker rather than hugging you.
It is made by Silentnight, which is perhaps the biggest sleep brand in the UK (depending on how you measure these things). They are a solid mid-market choice in my opinion.
Positive reviews…but a couple of downsides
Reviews from customers are currently at 4.4/5 from 100+ reviews. Some customers complain that it is softer than they anticipated. Others complain that it is firmer than they anticipated. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised or put off by these contradictions. There is no agreed scale for firmness, so you really need to try out a mattress before making your mind up. This mattress has a 60 night comfort trial, which is a real plus point in my mind. Read the terms and conditions first though.
Settle yourself in now as I’m going to go through the possible problems and downsides with this mattress. Readers of a delicate nature may want to clutch a hanky.
The depth of 39cm is remarkably large but it may mean you end up buying a set of extra deep fitted sheets. Standard sheets are usually suitable for mattresses up to about 25-30cm deep. There’s a risk of losing an eye if you try and fit a standard sheet on a deeper mattress.
Another issue is that the warranty is only five years. Some modern bed in a box mattresses scream about their 10 year, 15 year or ‘forever’ warranties. The counter argument is that a couple of these modern brands have stopped trading in the UK in recent years, so their warranties are worthless. Silentnight is a long established British brand so I would have more confidence in their ongoing support.
My final point is that you can’t turn this mattress over. This is a very common feature of pillowtop mattresses, but there is an argument that a regularly turned mattress is less likely to develop uneven areas. I’m not suggesting that is the case with this mattress, just that there is a general argument.
What the scientists say about pillow top mattresses
Finally, it’s worth mentioning an academic paper which was published in China on the issue of mattress toppers. Three researchers – Yu-Chi Lee, Lee Chih-Yun and Wang Mao-Jiun – carried out tests to determine the ideal ‘combination of thickness and hardness’. Their research focused on ‘supine’ sleeping, which means sleeping on your back.
Their conclusion was that the best outcome in terms of things like ‘body pressure‘ and ‘temperature distribution’ were achieved with ‘a soft topper of 30-mm thickness’.
This mattress is way over that at 80mm but it does get a thumbs up for the softness mentioned in the study.
Pros and cons – the Sleep Guy’s summary
“The main downside with the snappily titled Silentnight Deluxe Box Top Mirapocket 2000 Limited Edition Mattress is that it’s got a relatively short warranty for the money. However, the opportunity to swap it if you find it uncomfortable is a major plus. The five year guarantee is half that of the Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress. However, it’s hundreds of pounds cheaper.”
“You might be tempted by the trial period offered by the slightly cheaper Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress. However, the Silentnight Deluxe Box Top Mirapocket 2000 Limited Edition Mattress has more pocket springs, which should offer more support.”
“It’s certainly one of the softer mattresses in our pillowtop comparison. The Hypnos Premier Luxury Pillow Top Pocket Sprung Mattress is another option at the softer end of the scale but it’s twice the price.”
2. Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress – medium/firm – £549
The cheapest pillow top mattress in our top five is this one from Sleepeezee.
The brand has a Royal Warrant meaning that the King sleeps in a Sleepeezee bed. Well, I think it means they supply the royal household but that doesn’t sound as impressive. Customers also rave about Sleepeezee, with an outstanding average brand score of 4.3/5 on TrustPilot.
The 1000 Memory Comfort model is less than half the price of another Sleepeezee mattress – the Mayfair(#4 on our list) – but it still offers a lot for the money.
What’s the pillowtop layer made from?
As well as a layer of pocket springs, it also has memory foam and a pillow top. Memory foam doesn’t appeal to everyone as it has a bit of a sinking feeling. However, most mattress experts say that it offers a good level of consistent support compared to springs. It’s obviously working well alongside the softer pillow top layer as it scores more than 4.7/5 from about 500 reviews on Mattress Online.
There are a couple differences between this cheaper Sleepeezee model and the luxurious Sleepeezee Mayfair model. The first is the number of springs and the second is the use of fancy natural materials such as cashmere.
A high spring count is more important if you’re on the heavy side. However, for most people the support of 1000 pocket springs will be enough. It is certainly far better than ‘open coil’ or ‘traditional’ springs, which are what your grandma has on her wartime spare bed.
Is this mattress ideal for you?
This model is a medium/firm tension mattress. That means it might suit someone who sleeps on their back. Side sleepers usually go for softer mattresses than back sleepers so that their shoulders and hips sink into the mattress a bit more.
Sleepeezee also offer a rather appealing 60 night sleep trial if you buy it from Mattress Online. They’ll swap it for another Sleepeezee mattress if you find it isn’t right for you. Check the terms and conditions first.
The other main difference compared to the more expensive Sleepeezee Mayfair mattress (#4) it that this model comes with a 5 year warranty instead of 10 years.
Pros and cons – The Sleep Guy’s summary
“In the pros column is the fact that the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress is the cheapest out of this selection by some distance. It’s half the price of the other featured Sleepeezee mattress (the Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200).”
”It’s also likely to suit a lot of people as it’s medium firm. That’s a very popular option for guest bedrooms and hotels.”
“Another definite plus is the 60 night comfort trial, which is unusual for a mattress at this price. The trial has some smallprint and only applies from some locations, so it’s not as generous as some other mattresses with trial periods.”
“In the cons column for this mattress is the relatively short warranty. The Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200 offers twice as long. The spring count is also a little on the low side. It’s the same as the Silentnight Mirapocket 1000 Geltex Pillow Top Mattress. However, I prefer a number closer to that offered by the much pricier Hypnos Premier Luxury Pillow Top Pocket Sprung Mattress“
3. Silentnight Mirapocket 1000 Geltex Pillow Top Mattress – medium firmness – £579
Here’s a mid-priced pillow top mattress which is worth a look.
It’s made by Silentnight, which is probably the most well-known name in the UK mattress market. The brand offers mattresses, duvets, pillows and various other sleep related things. It scores a more-than respectable 4.1/5 from thousands of customers on TrustPilot.
The Mirapocket 1000 pillow top mattress has got 1000 pocket springs. That’s not as many as some but enough to provide a good level of support unless you’re large enough to take up two seats on an aeroplane.
As well as the pocket springs and the pillow top layer it also has a layer of something called ‘geltex’. That is a type of fancy foam which aims to offer a bit of consistent support.
It makes our top five thanks to outstanding customer reviews, which average 4.7/5 from more than 300 reviews.
Pros and cons – the Sleep Guy’s summary
“There are plenty of positives about the Mirapocket 1000 pillow top mattress. You’re buying from a well established brand which sits somewhere around the middle of the market in the UK. Silentnight doesn’t have the Royal Warrant of Hypnos or Sleepeezee but it is the biggest brand in the UK. It’s easy to find a good number of reviews for most of their mattresses.”
“It uses a different material for its top layer which is synthetic and is called Geltex. Rival choices such as the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 use memory foam which has more of a sinking and hugging feeling than Geltex.”
“What about the downsides and negatives with this mattress? The warranty is only as good as the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 which is a couple of hundred pounds cheaper. It also doesn’t have a trial period so you can either search for one in a showroom or take a gamble and buy it online”
4. Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress – medium firmness – £1044
The Sleepeezee Mayfair 3200 was a finalist at the bed industry’s main awards in 2019. I imagine you watched the live coverage on Sky Box Office just like me.
As mentioned earlier, the brand has a Royal Warrant and outstanding reviews on TrustPilot (4.3/5). The brand was also a finalist at the 2022 Bed Industry Awards in the Bed Manufacturer of the Year category.
As this is a premium product, there aren’t quite so many reviews available but it scores 4.6/5 based on the reviews available.
A lot of mattress for your money
The specification is very strong. It’s a whopping 35cm deep, making it one of the thickest mattresses on the market. You might want to buy a stepladder to get into bed if you’re shorter than average and you’ll need some extra deep fitted bedsheets.
It uses pocket springs and has a lot of them. Cheap nasty mattresses use ‘open coil’ springs which wobble around like jelly on a bucking bronco, but a decent mattress like this uses pocket springs. If you want to get technical, it actually has a layer of 1200 normal sized pocket springs, plus another 2000 smaller springs. The main support comes from the normal sized springs, with the smaller ones adding a bit of extra comfort.
The Sleepeezee Mayfair 3200 has other signs of quality such as:
- lots of natural materials including wool and cashmere which are more expensive than synthetic plastic based fibres. If you have dust allergies then you might be better looking at a foam mattress.
- hand side stitching, which is very boring but just means that it’s been well constructed so that it doesn’t collapse when you sit on the edge
- a 10 year warranty, which is very good for a pocket spring mattress
This is another mattress which one comes with the Sleepeezee 60 night trial if you buy it from Mattress Online. That means you can swap it for another Sleepeezee mattress if it isn’t right for you (check the smallprint).
Pros and cons – The Sleep Guy’s summary
“This Sleepeezee mattress has a whole stack of factors in the pros column. There’s the industry award, the Royal Warrant (which Hypnos also has) and the fact that it uses a lot of natural materials which experts reckon omit less ‘gaseous chemicals called volatile organic compounds’ than foam toppers.”
“You also get a warranty which is double that of the Silentnight Mirapocket 1000 Geltex Pillow Top Mattress and it has a trial period from some outlets, which you don’t get with the Hypnos Premier Luxury Pillow Top Pocket Sprung Mattress“
“A technical comparison also reveals that this pricier model uses hand side stitching which you don’t get with the cheaper Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000.That feature will give it more strength at the edges”
“Funnily enough, this mattress’s huge depth will actually be a negative for some people. It’s a whole 9cm deeper than the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 so you might find that your standard fitted sheets won’t fit – which is another cost on top of an already expensive mattress”
5. Hypnos Pillow Top Luxe Mattress – soft tension – £2047
Hypnos deserve a mention as it has been named as the best mattress manufacturer on more than one occasion at the National Bed Federation’s awards. For anyone taking notes, they won in 2014 and 2017 and were runner up in 2018.
They’re one of the posher brands in the UK mattress market and according to the official blurb they are ‘the only bed maker to actively supply all of the Royal residences including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St. James Palace, Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House, The Palace of Holyroodhouse and Kensington Palace’. So, you could well be sleeping in the King’s bed, if you see what I mean.
The Hypnos Pillow Top Luxe model has all the signs of quality that you’d expect when you spend more than £2000 on a mattress including:
- a good number of pocket springs, in this case 1200 which is plenty unless you are very heavy
- posh natural materials such as wool and silk
- a long warranty (10 years)
- thick measurements, which shows that they’ve not scrimped on materials. This one is 31cm deep (most expensive mattresses are about 25-30cm deep).
This mattress is described as being softer than most, so it’s best for people who sleep on their side as it will allow their shoulders and elbows to sink in and keep their spines straight. Soft mattresses are also more suited for lighter people, as a heavy person will sink in to the mattress too much.
The Hypnos brand scores 4.1/5 on TrustPilot, whilst this mattress was scoring just below 5/5.
Hypnos is an industry leader when it comes to sustainability. At the Bed Industry Awards in 2021, it won the Sustainability Award. It was described as being a company which ‘pulled out all the stops, demonstrating activity and progress on all the award’s criteria – product design, procurement, process improvement, packaging, transport, waste and energy, end of life, employee and customer engagement and corporate social responsibility’ (Furniture News).
Pros and cons – the Sleep Guy’s summary
“Top of the cons column for this mattress is the price, which is the highest by far from our selection. It costs about three times as much as the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress“
“You’re certainly buying quality natural materials and prestige but you might feel it’s too much to spend without the trial period offered by the likes of the Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200“
“On the plus side, you get a generous warranty which easily beats the Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress.”
”The spring count is also a good number. The Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200 has more springs but they are spread over more layers. The number of full size springs on a mattress is more important than the extra layers of smaller springs”
Head to head comparison: which pillowtop mattress is right for you?
As you’ll see from the chart below, there’s a good choice of firmness levels and prices in our selection of pillowtop mattresses. They all offer an adequate number of springs but the cheaper models are those with slightly lower counts. You also pay a premium for a longer warranty.
A lot of people find pillowtop mattresses can’t be beat for comfort but do keep in mind that you can’t flip them over, so you’ll need to rotate them regularly to get a good few years out of them. If you don’t you might find that they develop imprints and dips.
| What’s it called? | How much is it? | Warranty and trial | How firm is it? | Pocket springs/ depth | Sizes |
| Silentnight Deluxe Box top | £655 | 5 years, no trial period | Soft/medium | 1000, 39cm | Single, Double, King, Super King |
| Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Mattress | £549 | 5 years, 60 night comfort trial | Medium/firm | 1000, 26cm | Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King |
| Silentnight Mirapocket 1000 Geltex Pillow Top Mattress | £579 | 5 years, no trial period | Medium | 1000, 34cm | Single, Double, King, Super King |
| Sleepeezee Perfectly British Mayfair 3200 | £1044 | 10 years, 60 night comfort trial | Medium/firm | 3200, 35cm | Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King |
| Hypnos Pillow Top Luxe Mattress | £2047 | 10 years, no trial period | Soft | 1200, 31cm | Single, Double, King, Super King |